I’ve already mentioned two of the program items I was on at Boskone (global warming and quantum physics for dogs). I should at least comment on the other two, “Physics: What We Don’t Understand” and “Is Science Addicted to Randomness?” They both featured me and Geoff Landis, but other than that were very different. “Physics:… Continue reading Random Physics We Don’t Understand
links for 2009-02-18
US LHC Blog » Higgs Hunting News "Depending on what the mass of the Higgs boson is, it will decay into other particles that are easier or harder for an experiment to detect. So for example if the mass turns out to be about 170 GeV, the Tevatron experiments say their chances are almost 100… Continue reading links for 2009-02-18
Is It Better to Be Lucky or Good?
My cold from last week has shifted into a bit of bronchitis (and here I thought my virus-fighting strategy of staying up really late drinking beer would clear everything up), so I’m kind of groggy and lethargic. And I have book edits to work on, which precludes taking a long time to write blog posts… Continue reading Is It Better to Be Lucky or Good?
Gravity Probe B Is in the Air
I no longer remember the context, but the Gravity Probe B experiment came up in discussion around the department last week, and nobody could really remember what the status of it was. It came up again during the “Physics: What We Don’t Understand” panel Saturday morning, where Geoff Landis was able to supply a few… Continue reading Gravity Probe B Is in the Air
links for 2009-02-17
immlass: You have no privacy. Get over it. "Facebook may be sleazy and selling more of your information than you like to advertisers, but the idea it wants to steal your IP and do something with it seems vanishingly unlikely. I suspect the change in TOS has something to do with protecting their asses against… Continue reading links for 2009-02-17
Quantum Physics for Dogs: Many Worlds, Many Treats?
On Saturday at Boskone, I gave a talk on the Many-Worlds Interpretation of QM. This was held up a bit by waiting for the projector to arrive (I was busy enough with other stuff that I didn’t notice that I hadn’t received confirmation of my request for a projector until late Thursday night, so this… Continue reading Quantum Physics for Dogs: Many Worlds, Many Treats?
Global Warming at Boskone: Not That Awful
Sunday morning at Boskone, I moderated a panel on “Global Warming: Facts and Myths, (and all that jazz)”, featuring James Morrow, Mark Olson, and Vince Docherty. As noted previously, I was a little worried that this would turn out to be absolutely awful in one of a couple of obvious ways, but it wound up… Continue reading Global Warming at Boskone: Not That Awful
links for 2009-02-14
Notes on sociopathy "Sometimes, a day of interacting with the rest of the human race on the roads and streets leaves you convinced that the world would be a much nicer place if most newborn humans were tossed in a burlap sack with some stones and then deposited in the nearest pond. But hereâs the… Continue reading links for 2009-02-14
Happy News Open Thread
I’ve been a Grumpy Blogger this week, what with one thing and another (some of my general malaise has finally resolved into a cold, which I suspect explains a lot). I’m headed to Boskone for the weekend, though, so let’s end the week on a positive note. I’m declaring this a Happy News Open Thread:… Continue reading Happy News Open Thread
Darwin’s Birthday Baby Blogging 021209
It’s Darwin’s 200th birthday today, and SteelyKid is wearing her ladybug outfit to celebrate: If you can’t make it out, the outfit is pink, and covered with little pink and orange ladybugs. The feet are larger ladybugs, complete with antennae. Why is this an appropriate Dawrin’s Birthday outfit, you ask?